🌳Bottle Brush Tree
gardening · Paws&Tails · plants

🌳Bottle Brush Tree

PlantsandBeyond

~ What a scarlet bursting delight to grow around the house. Green leaves with Red Bottle like flowers that attract the multitude of pollinators. You never feel alone, listening to the busy life of bees, observing birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and flying critters that are sapping on red flower juice. 

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There are an upright species and one that has a weeping form. The upright type can also make a nice screen or unclipped hedge. This tree can grow up to 25 ft high.

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Moreover, evergreen Bottle Brush tree leaves are medicinal and a cousin to Melalukah Tree. By boiling a cup of leaves and branches a gallon of water, you can brew yourself a handmade antiseptic for your house and body.

Here is what our USF published about this specimen:

This popular evergreen tree has a dense, multi-trunked, low-branching, pendulous growth habit and a moderate growth rate. Mature specimens can reach 25- to 30-feet tall in 30 years, but most trees are seen 15- to 20-feet high and wide. The narrow, light green, 3- to 4-inch-long leaves tend to grow only at the ends of the long, hanging branches, creating a weeping effect. The cylindrical, bright scarlet blooms, three to five inches long and 1-inch wide, are composed of multiple, long, bristlelike stamens. These blooms appear in great abundance March through July, less so throughout the year. The flowers are followed by persistent woody capsules that are not noticed unless you are close to the tree.

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This tree provides a nice shade in the Sunny days, but moreover, it’s very tolerant of freezing and hot and humid temperatures. Bottlebrush will thrive in full sun and can adapt to a variety of soils. Also, It’s a very drought- and salt-tolerant plant.

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A giant canine bee inquires about the vibrant flowers 🙂

Such versatility is more than welcomed in my Florida backyard 😉

Until next time, my dear friends.

Luda@PlantsandBeyond🌿

All photographs belong to Luda @PlantsandBeyond.com

©PlantsandBeyond.com  

 

Published by PlantsandBeyond

Green Plants Based Living and Gardening

58 thoughts on “🌳Bottle Brush Tree”

  2. Wow, that’s interesting…where else do they grow, I’ve never heard of them. And the medicine is intriguing, what could it treat, it’s like your own pharmacy in your backyard lovely😉. Florid is something else!

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    1. Thank you so much, Jokerswild for your reflection. Its very interesting habitat here. Different and beneficial. The medicinal benefits include fungal infections/ candida/immunity when brewed as the tea and perhaps an antiseptic for the natural house cleaning. Thank you for your question!

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      1. Ah, must be the humidity I assume. Interesting it can be brewed as for drinking and cleaning. Not only food for thought, but plants for thought too!😊

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      2. Yes, I tried it myself. Tastes medicinal, but who cares when its natural and beneficial 🙂 LOL. Yes, I like your thinking. Plants for though-very creative on your part. Thankyou again.

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      1. Gurneys says that I’m in zone 8. Right now, it’s not a question of planting/growing things, since I currently live in an apartment. I was mainly wondering if this tree might be something I could see when I’m out and about!

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  7. We’ve had one in the garden for 16 years and I never knew of its medicinal properties.
    I shall inform the wife and we shall see what we shall see!
    Excellent post and lovely photos.(and video)

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      1. It goes back a few years when I was doing some research on Moses for a humorous book I was writing. I came across an article about Sigmund Freud and his belief in the possibility that Akhenaten was Moses..
        It was interesting, but not wholly convincing. Even so, I was rather taken by the notion and it helped with certain characters in the book.
        Around that time I wanted to start to blog, and as I had recently been reading up on the famous Pharaoh I decided to use this image.
        I was not paying attention when I registered the blog and as you can see, spelt the name incorrectly. However, when I noticed the mistake I realised it had a certain appeal of its own so I let it stand.
        Phew! What a lot of explaining! 🙂

        I have gotten so used to the blog name ”Ark” that it is almost like my alter ego these days.
        All the same, in real life I go by the name of Douglas.
        I have no objections to either.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Interesting and informative post with beautiful pictures, Luda. I really like the last picture of the canine bee. Just one question, though….. Is her bark worse then her sting?!? LOL!

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